How to understand that you are too old? Enough to believe that dad Gabriel FalleN Toledo still show everyone! The other day MIBR ingloriously flew out of the second tournament of the RMR series and, most likely, will not play on ESL One Rio 2023. It seems that the team has finally lost its top status. At the same time, just a couple of years ago, the Brazilians tore everyone up and became the best by the end of the year without major victories, but most importantly, they took the local scene to a whole new level. Cybersport.ru tells how the history of a great team began and how it is moving towards oblivion.
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How it all began – getting to know FalleN with fnx
FalleN is considered to be the “godfather” of the Brazilian Counter-Strike scene, but this was not always the case. In the distant 2000s, the country’s strongest team was mibr (yes, then the tag was still written in lowercase letters), where the most prominent players were Renato Nak Nakano and Bruno Bit Lima. They started talking seriously about the team in 2006, when the Brazilians won one of the largest championships of those years – ESWC 2006 – and earned gigantic $ 52 thousand at that time. Moreover, in the final they didn’t manage with anyone, but with Fnatic, for which he played Patrick f0rest Lindbergh.
FalleN at that time was only taking its first steps in Counter-Strike. The young sniper was noticed in 2008 when, after several unsuccessful attempts, his team crashers (whose unchanged leader was another local legend, Giuliano Batistuta Correa) reached the final of the Brazilian WCG. In the decisive match, crashers lost the same mibr, but FalleN proved to be quite bright anyway – and after a few months he played in the same roster with nak under the FireGamers tag.
Then FalleN found one of his two best friends in the world of Counter-Strike – Lincoln fnx lau. The latter in those years was not yet so pumped up, he wore a magnificent head of hair and could not think of the spree who would subsequently cost him a career.
From left to right: FalleN, fnx, BIT, bruno, nak
FireGamers were unconditionally the best in Brazil. In 2009-2010 they won all that is possible on the local stage and at the same time did not get lost at international championships. The team peaked when it received an offer from Jason Lake and his Complexity gaming. Under this tag, the team performed at World Cyber Games 2010, the most important for the CIS fans. The Brazilians were fourth in the tournament: they didn’t let them into the final mTwwhich you later punished you know who.
University, Cross Fire and a new friend
The beginning of the 2010s is a troubled time for Brazilian eSports and Counter-Strike in general. The scene was very unstable – CS 1.6 began to lose its audience: the players left in CS: Source, then in Cross Fire. There was also less money, so FalleN and fnx had to play everywhere in order to somehow earn a living. At that time, Toledo had already become a recognized e-sportsman and started the Games Academy project (an analogue of the Zeus Cyber School), where he taught young players the basics of Counter-Strike: subsequently, all the stars of the Brazilian scene would pass through it. But FalleN was not completely sure that he could provide himself with just one game.
The fateful year was 2013. Then FalleN entered the Parana Federal University, but studied there for only two weeks:
“Once a teacher asked me:“ Why are you here? ”. I replied: “This is my plan B. I need a reserve for the future if my gamer career does not bear fruit.” The next day I did not appear at the university. I spent hours thinking about that conversation and in the end I decided to put everything on my dream, invest all my energy in Games Academy and other projects. ”
Then there was another important acquaintance in the life and career of FalleN – he made friends with Fernando fer Alvarengoy. At first, Alvarenga did not like FalleN and fnx, who at that time were already the stars of the scene: fer considered them arrogant, so he struggled to win during face-to-face meetings. This bribed Toledo, who finally decided to focus on CS: GO.
A major debut on the international CS: GO scene for FalleN and his bosom friends happened at ESWC. At that moment, KaBuM! e-Sports did its best to assemble a combat-ready squad to participate in the French tournament, but in the end the roster completely failed and took the last place. Then it became known about the problems in the team: fnx lost motivation – competitions and training no longer brought him joy, but alcohol coped with this very well. After the tournament, Lau left the team. But FalleN did not give up.
The card that changed everything
After the failure in France, ProGaming.TD and KaBuM! e-Sports realized that they would not succeed alone, and decided to unite – this is how the KaBuM.TD team appeared. The whole world started talking about her after MLG in Aspen. Do you think KaBuM.TD won it? Not at all, I didn’t even leave the group. But at the same time, the Brazilians humiliated (there is no other way to find a word), extremely successful and popular at that time Cloud9 with a score of 16: 4 on Mirage – everyone was in shock, especially Cloud9 itself. Here’s what FalleN said about it:
“The Brazilian qualification for MLG Aspen was the most important tournament of our lives. The victory allowed us to go abroad, and all the expenses were covered by the tournament operator, which was not typical for Brazilian tournaments of that time (except for WCG). Our performance and, first of all, the victory over Cloud9 ensured us an invite to the major in Katowice. ”
It is now the best conditions for the competition for cybersportsmen, and at that time FalleN and his team had no trivial money to get to the USA or Europe on their own. And although the team received an invite to the qualifiers for the major, everything could end without ever starting. However, the efforts of the community (helped a lot Robin Flusha Ronkvest) the team collected the necessary amount and went to the most important tournament in life.
The team took full advantage of the chance and from the first attempt not only went to the major, but also reached the playoffs. Yes, in ¼ of the finale the tale is over: Poles from Virtus.proonce on KaBuM.TD, at some point even thought they were training on the aim-mapbut since then for the meal (this is not an exaggeration) Brazilians never played again.
The coming of coldzera and the return of fnx
After the major in Katowice, the Brazilians became regulars at major CS: GO tournaments. Player ambitions grew rapidly: in the summer of 2015, FalleN and the company moved to North America – they were signed Luminosity gaming. Then FalleN decided that Tsayo zqk Fonseca does not show Counter-Strike of the proper level, and he took an unknown one to replace it Marcelo coldzera david.
To get the player, Toledo had to work hard. It turned out that the then-chubby and puffy-haired coldzera had very stubborn parents: the father until the last did not want to let his son go overseas and agreed only after a dialogue with the captain:
“I called his father and said that such a chance does not fall twice in my life and that he should give his son the opportunity to do what he really wants, something that he dreamed about for a long time.”
Substitution made the team only stronger. Coldzera immediately joined the team, and at the second major of 2015, Luminosity again reached the playoffs. However, the team again stumbled at the ¼ final stage, where they lost to future finalists – Natus vincere. And although at that time the Brazilians were not seen among the favorites for the titles, it was already clear to everyone that these guys could impose a fight on anyone.
Having settled in the USA, FalleN did not forget about those with whom it was a long time going to international success: Toledo decided to bring another Brazilian team to North America. In partnership with Azubu, Toledo organized the Games Academy Golden Chance Championship in Brazil, the winner of which was to go to the States.
Took a chance Games academy, in which then an eccentric guy in a hat spoke Epitasio Taco de Melo and … fnx, who, inspired by the success of a friend, began to give himself Counter-Strike with renewed vigor. As a result, the team settled across the street from Luminosity Gaming, and FalleN had more options for reorganizing the roster.
Within a couple of months after the arrival of the Games Academy, Toledo again went to reshuffle. So fnx returned to the team, and the fifth slot went to TACO. Champion lineup has been formed.
Two-time Major Champions
2016 was the most significant year in the history of the Brazilian Counter-Strike scene. In the first major with two bosom friends, FalleN became the champion, and coldzera forever left its mark on the Mirage map. At the same time, before the tournament, Luminosity was at best considered a dark horse, but not a favorite.
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